Working at height can be treacherous and presents a range of risks to the health and safety of workers, but access equipment has all been consciously designed to provide a wider and stronger stance. Access equipment is Broadly Classified into People Lifting Equipment and Material Lifting Equipment. The usage of access equipment is universal and not specific to any particular sector. Wherever there is a need to work safely at heights, access equipment is required. The massive investments in infrastructure development projects and growing consciousness about safety, productivity, and increasing uptime will lead to the demand for higher quality Customers are showing interest in innovations like this one that provides measurable benefits.
Increasing investments by governments and airport authorities for the development and construction of new airports are key driving factors in India. The demand for Access Equipment in India has been steadily growing across various sectors like Infrastructure, Construction, Power, Manufacturing, Hotels, Malls, Facility Management etc.
Types of access equipment
Aerial work platform
These are alternatives to scaffolding and ladders and allow workers to complete tasks at heights. All kinds of industries use aerial work platforms and different types of construction lifts, from landscaping companies to maintenance facilities to industrial cleaning companies and more. The main components of an aerial work platform include a base structure, an extending structure with chassis, and a flat workspace with controls for the operator to control the lift. Keep in mind, this is a list of the major parts of an aerial lift. Modern models offer both non-insulated and insulated platforms reaching working heights of between 13 m and 90 m for chassis weighing between 3.5 t and 60 t. These platforms are thus optimally adjusted to the relevant working range. These are made up of an elevated working platform that is usually powered by a mechanical device. Working from such a device requires a lot of safety awareness and they can often reach heights above 10 meters. Aerial work platforms come in a wide range of sizes. From a soaring aerial platform used for maintenance and construction to a lower elevated work platform, many aerial platforms are available.
Scissor lifts
The latest models feature various restricted and unrestricted capacities based on indoor or outdoor application. The standard platform extensions provide even more workspace and extra reach. With a straight, vertical elevation, they are really simple to use. Extremely flexible, electric scissor lifts offer more compact dimensions than diesel versions. From commercial construction to hospitals, schools and facilities maintenance applications, the equipment can be used virtually anywhere there’s work to be done. The ruggedness of thick rubber tires and all-steel component doors and platforms make them extremely reliable. R Series scissor lifts deliver the value you need without sacrificing performance and quality.
Articulating boom lifts
Latest articulating boom lifts provide the ability to lift, over and out with precise positioning for ultimate versatility in hard-to-access work areas. Articulating booms feature a boom arm with a pivot point giving them the ability to extend over obstacles to reach the most challenging work areas. Electric articulating booms can work indoors and outdoors with no emissions. The latest models come with narrow electric lift, operators can easily drive through standard doorways, work close to buildings or around obstacles, and access overhead work from aisles and other congested areas. You also have the choice of an electric or gas-powered engine. And with the standard combination hitch and hydraulic auto-levelling outriggers. Standard air and water lines to the platform let you tackle a variety of jobs, including residential maintenance, construction, pressure washing, tree trimming, exterior painting and maintenance tasks, with greater ease.
Telescopic boom lifts
Telescopic boom lifts are ideal for work that requires extended horizontal and vertical outreach. The latest telescopic lifts take you right where you need to work, and they’re available in a range of sizes to provide the best height and capacity for your job. A telescopic boom lift has a mast that extends in a straight line by using one or more telescoping boom sections. This modern equipment design gives you the vertical reach you need to access overhead jobs, while also providing outstanding horizontal reach. Telescopic boom lifts can require more space to operate compared to articulating models, though they often reach higher and allow you to access work from a distance. This is especially helpful on job sites where difficult terrain or immovable obstacles prevent close-up access to structures. Modern telescopic booms offer greater horizontal outreach than any other type of aerial platform. It is also suited for areas with limited access to construction and industrial applications.
Vertical masts
Vertical masts are equipped with such features and include a dedicated forklift pocket, gradeability, direct electric drive with maintenance-free AC motors and the Screen onboard diagnostic that are standard across the range. Most of them can be used indoors and outdoors on slab floors. The platform extension provides additional space. Models equipped with a jib allow work over obstacles and have an exceptional zero tail swing which makes them very easy to manoeuvre. For stocking, work uses the dedicated Picking model, equipped with an elevating picking tray. These platforms are easy to move, extremely manoeuvrable and fit easily through normal doorways. Loading and unloading are no more than a simple action through an advanced tilting system, which is mounted on any type of platform. It is equipped with a specially constructed base with which maximum stability can be achieved.
Push-around vertical lifts
The push-around vertical lift allows you to get closer to your overhead work and maintenance applications. These are quick to set up and simple to operate. These units are perfect for lifting a single person needing to do construction or maintenance work at height for jobs that need to be mast-climbed directly upward. Fit through standard doorways and maneuver easily through narrow aisles. The push around vertical lifts are compact and lightweight and can be shifted from one place to another easily by one person. The vertical lift is a platform that has only vertical reach and no horizontal reach. It is used for light-duty work in factories, shopping malls, hotel lobbies, airports etc.
Trailer mounted boom lifts
It is easy to connect to the towbar of a car and offers a good alternative to scaffolding and ladders. This aerial platform is mainly used for lighter jobs such as work at homes and low buildings. They are available in different heights and with different horizontal reaches. This type of aerial platform is ideal for outdoor work such as painting houses or low buildings, or the maintenance of lamp posts or trees. There are several kinds of aerial platforms available, such as boom lifts and spider lifts. All of them serve different functions in the construction industry. Sometimes, one may need to reach an area at the top that is dense and needs some navigation. In such cases, a trailer-mounted boom lift is a platform to go for. Trailer-mounted boom lifts come equipped with hydraulically powered, fold-down outriggers and high manoeuvrable articulating booms. Efficient and cost-effective, these trailer-mounted booms are easy to transport and easier to operate both indoors and outdoors.
Mobile access tower
Mobile access towers are used extensively in the building and construction industry and provide both outdoor and indoor access solutions. Wherever a secure and stable working platform is required, mobile scaffolds serve the purpose. They are lightweight and are perfect for installation work, maintenance projects, or temporary access. A mobile access tower is extremely versatile that offers a strong and safe working platform in a variety of situations, for a variety of heights. The main aim of the tower is to make this process as easy as possible by offering workers an adjustable platform that can simply go up or down. Workers can load materials such as mortar, cement, and blocks on the working platform, and when they are done, an electric motor raises the platform to the required height where another group of workers can unload all the materials off the platform.
Conclusion
Discussed above are different types of access equipment’s and their applications.
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